Just across Wolli Creek from Turrella and Bardwell Park
Blocked Drains St George, Cleared From Earlwood Next Door
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Blocked drains in St George usually trace back to a short list of causes: roots working into old clay sewer pipes, wipes and fat building up in the shared lines of unit blocks, and silt filling stormwater pits. Help Plumbing clears them from our base in Earlwood, on the other side of Wolli Creek from Turrella and Bardwell Park. The camera goes down first, a jetter does the clearing, and you see the fixed price before anything starts.
Three kinds of St George drain problem
St George takes in the Georges River Council area and the old Rockdale City part of Bayside Council, running from Wolli Creek and the M5 down to the Georges River. Across that area we see three different patterns.
Post-war brick houses
Beverly Hills is largely red brick and tile bungalows built in the years just after the Second World War, and plenty of streets in Bexley, Kingsgrove and Roselands look similar. Their sewer lines are usually clay, and Sydney Water notes that tree roots find their way into small cracks looking for nutrients, then keep growing until the pipe chokes. A drain that slows down every year or so in one of these houses is very often roots.
Flats and townhouses
Arncliffe is mostly detached and semi-detached houses, mixed with townhouses and blocks of flats. Where several homes share one line, the lowest flat usually notices first: a gurgle in the toilet or water rising in a floor waste when the neighbours run a shower. Shared lines are normally common property, so the strata manager books the clearing.
Newer apartments by the river
Wolli Creek, the suburb, sits beside the creek and the Cooks River, and its newer apartment buildings have modern pipe. Blockages there come from what goes down it. According to Sydney Water, non-flushable wet wipes contribute to about three quarters of wastewater blockages, and fats, oils and grease poured into sinks harden as they cool.
Is the blockage yours or Sydney Water's?
Who pays depends on where the problem sits. Sydney Water looks after its own wastewater network, while the property owner is responsible for their connection to it, including roots that get into the junction at that connection point. Sydney Water says the fault is probably in its pipes if:
- the overflow is coming from beyond your boundary, such as a maintenance hole on public land
- your neighbours have the same problem
- there's widespread flooding nearby
- wastewater keeps overflowing while nobody in the house is using water.
In those cases, report it to Sydney Water first. If the trouble is inside your boundary, that's a job for us.
How we clear a St George drain
We open the gully or an inspection point and run the camera to see what's down there. Roots and grease come out with the jetter on our truck, and hard material may need a mechanical auger. A last pass with the camera shows the line running clear, and you get a written note of what caused the blockage. We don't pour caustic cleaners into old clay pipes, because they can do damage and rarely shift a solid blockage anyway.
Keeping it from coming back
Clearing roots from a cracked clay pipe buys time rather than fixing the crack. Once the camera has shown the damaged section, you can choose a regular jetting schedule or have the pipe relined by our partner relining team (see pipe relining). For unit blocks where the same shared line keeps blocking, we can set up a drain maintenance plan with a short report after each visit. If you're planting, Sydney Water suggests getting your sewerage service diagram first and keeping trees at least 6 metres from wastewater pipes.
Blocked drains St George suburbs we cover
These St George suburbs have their own drain pages: Rockdale, Arncliffe, Wolli Creek, Kingsgrove and Turrella. We also clear drains in Bardwell Park, Beverly Hills, Bexley, Roselands and Mascot, and the plumber St George page covers everything else we do in the area. An overflowing sewer at night goes to our 24/7 line.
Need a blocked drain cleared in St George?
Same-day service available, with typical 1-hour response on urgent plumbing issues. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 1–2 business hours.
- Phone: (02) 9538 7878
- Email: info@helpplumbing.com.au
- Address: 17–25 William Street, Earlwood NSW 2206
Blocked drains St George FAQs
How can I tell if the blockage is on Sydney Water's side?
If the overflow is beyond your boundary, your neighbours have the same problem, or it keeps overflowing when no one is using water, Sydney Water's guidance is that it's probably their pipe. Report it to them. Anything inside your boundary, call us.
Can you show me where the roots are getting in?
Yes. The camera shows the joint or cracked section, and we talk you through the footage before recommending a fix.
What shouldn't go down the drain?
Sydney Water's rule is that only pee, poo and toilet paper go down the toilet, and only water, detergent and soap go down sinks. Wipes and cooking fat are the usual culprits.
Will the price change once you start?
No. We camera the line, give you a fixed price, and nothing goes ahead until you approve it.